Egyptian princesses knew how to handle weapons

Here's what it's all about

• Researchers have examined the remains of four Egyptian princesses.
• Prominent muscle attachments to the bones suggest regular use of weapons.
• The findings challenge the assumption that weapons found in women's graves were merely symbolic grave goods.

Summary created with

Archery and hunting may have been part of everyday life in ancient Egypt, even for women of the royal family. This is suggested by an analysis of skeletal remains.

Some of the princesses who were buried with weapons had apparently actually used them, according to a research team reporting in the journal *Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology*. This was indicated by pronounced muscle and ligament attachment points on the arms and shoulders, which suggested repeated, physically demanding movements.

The findings are significant for a long-standing debate about the significance of weapons in women’s graves. Such grave goods were often considered symbolic. The new findings suggest that bows, arrows, and other weapons were not merely status symbols, at least for some princesses.

A team of scientists led by Egyptian archaeologist Seinab Haschesch had examined six royal mummies that had been discovered in the 1890s at the Dahshur pyramid complex —a burial site with pyramids and shaft tombs south of the capital, Cairo—in the 1890s. They had been missing for years and were only rediscovered in 2020 at the Egyptian Museum. Among them were four daughters of Pharaoh Amenemhet II, who lived about 4,000 years ago.

Prominent muscle definition

“Members of the royal family, especially the women, were actively engaged in demanding and physically strenuous activities such as archery and hunting,” Haschesch is convinced. This is supported by the way their bones developed to withstand heavy muscular strain. “We found significant development of the upper limbs associated with repeated, very intense movements—such as drawing a bowstring or stabilizing a weapon,” Haschesch explained.

In the skeletal remains of Princess Nub Hotep, the curvature of the second metacarpal bone in her right hand is particularly striking. In conjunction with the arrows found in her tomb and other biomechanical features, this is interpreted as evidence of repeated strain, such as that which can result from regular archery practice.

Princess Ita’s bones showed signs of very intense and frequent use of certain muscles and ligaments, particularly in the shoulder and forearm regions. “Princess Ita was a young woman between the ages of 28 and 34,” said Haschesch. The muscle attachments on her upper body indicated that she regularly used weapons such as maces or daggers. Among other items, a dagger was placed in her grave.

Injuries are indicative of physically demanding activities

Princess Itaweret was found to have sustained injuries. According to the findings, she survived broken ribs and foot fractures, which were most likely caused by accidents, falls, or hard blows—possibly during hunting or military training.

All of the princesses are missing their skulls. Archaeologists emphasize that this has made the investigations more difficult.